Share Trading comparison
Capital.com vs nabtrade
Capital.com and nabtrade couldn't be more different under the bonnet. Capital.com is a CFD provider — you never actually own shares, you trade contracts on price movements with leverage. nabtrade is a traditional CHESS-sponsored broker where you hold real ASX shares in your own name. If you want to own Australian shares, nabtrade is your only option here.
Choose
Capital.com
if…
- ›You want to trade CFDs on global indices, currencies, commodities or crypto — not real shares
- ›You're comfortable with leverage and want to open positions with a small deposit (from $20)
- ›You need a demo account to practice strategies before risking real money
- ›You want 24/7 customer support and fast withdrawals (most processed within minutes)
- ›You prefer zero brokerage, zero platform fees and zero inactivity fees — costs are in the spread
Choose
nabtrade
if…
- ›You want to buy and hold real ASX shares or ETFs under your own HIN via CHESS sponsorship
- ›You need a full suite of account types — joint, trust, SMSF, minor — for family or self-managed super investing
- ›You want dividend reinvestment plans (DRP), IPO access, managed funds and bonds in one place
- ›You need an Australian tax statement and CGT calculator/report at tax time
- ›You're already a NAB customer and want instant transfers to a linked NAB account
Where they differ
| Fact | Capital.com | nabtrade |
|---|---|---|
| What you actually buy | CFDs only — you never own the underlying asset | Real shares and ETFs (CHESS-sponsored, your own HIN) |
| ASX brokerage (minimum) | $0 (cost in spread) | $9.95 |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $19.95/month |
| Minimum initial deposit | $20 | $500 |
| Account types offered | Individual and company only | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, minor |
Verdict
Choose nabtrade for real share ownership and CHESS sponsorship; choose Capital.com only if you want leveraged CFD trading, not investing.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Capital.com | nabtrade |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | — | chess |
| Individual HIN | — | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | US, UK, EU, HK, JP, DE, FR, AU | United Kingdom (LSE), Germany (Xetra), Hong Kong (HKEx) |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | No |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | Yes | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| IPO access | No | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | 80% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 70% | 80% |
| Holds USD account | No | No |
| FX currency switch trick | No | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $19.95/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | — | $59.95 |
| Corporate action fees | Not applicable — Capital.com offers CFDs only, not real shares. There are no corporate-action fees because clients do not hold underlying securities; dividend adjustments on share CFDs are passed through automatically (credited on long positions, debited on short positions) without an explicit fee. | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | — | $9.95 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 11% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $20,000 |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$9.95 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 11% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | — |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | — |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | — |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $55 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd | WealthHub Securities Limited |
| AFSL number | 513,393 | 230,704 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,012 |
| Parent / ownership | Capital.com Group (founded by Viktor Prokopenya, backed by VP Capital); ultimate AU operator is Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd, part of the Cyprus-headquartered Capital.com group with multiple regulated entities globally | National Australia Bank Limited (ASX: NAB) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $20 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $20 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, bank transfer, debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, PayPal | Direct credit / EFT, BPAY, Internal transfer from linked NAB account |
| Settlement period | N/A (CFDs are not settled — positions are open contracts marked-to-market continuously) | ASX T+2; US T+1; UK/Germany/HK T+2 |
| Withdrawal time | Within 1 business day for PayID and bank transfer; 3-5 business days for card/Apple Pay/PayPal. 91% of withdrawals processed within 5 minutes. | Instant to linked NAB accounts; 1 business day to other Australian banks |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | Yes | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | authenticator | SMS + PIN |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat, WhatsApp | Phone, Email, Secure messaging (via NAB Internet Banking) |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/7 English live chat and email; Melbourne-based phone support during AEST business hours | Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST/AEDT (contact centre typically 9am-5pm) |
| Education content | video + courses | structured |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | No | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | No |
| CGT calculator / report | No | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |